‘We will chain ourselves to the door if the council come round to evict us’ activists locked in Greenwich Borough Hall say

BY CALUM FRASER
calum@slpmedia.co.uk

Protesters say they will chain themselves to doors if town hall chiefs try to evict them from a disused arts centre they are occupying.

A group of artistic activists have been occupying the old Borough Hall building in Woolwich since the Greenwich Dance Academy moved out on May 1.

Greenwich council are threatening the group of performers, writers, painters and film-makers with eviction and they are due to appear at Woolwich Crown Court on May 26.

Carlton Bloom, a spokesman for the activists, said: “We’re here to stay. If the worst comes to worst, we are considering the idea of chaining ourselves to the doors.

“We are actually writing a proposal with a list of the activities we intend to do in order to find an agreement.”

The building, which was previously used as the borough’s town hall, had been occupied by Greenwich Dance since it was formed in 1993.

The council agreed in 2013 to refurbish the space “to create a performing arts centre for the Royal Borough.”

Mr Bloom said: “We would like to reopen the space to the public, running workshops, sharing skills, creating public events such as exhibitions and performances.

“If we cannot, it is because of the constant threat of an eviction.

“However our aim is to keep using the building for what it was designed.

“We don’t want this amazing listed building to be left to rot.

“We thought the building was going to be kept open for another couple of years for artists to use, but the council decided they did not want to spend the money to upgrade.

“With the building being empty, we decided to take it back to create art again.”

The pop star Jizmik Hunt filmed her first music video there last week.

A series of posters made by artists Ceffo and Doublewhy_y have also been created there during the occupation.

The group say they are linked to other artists’ collectives in London and Europe and they have received a good response from people in the neighbourhood.

They have also been in contact with Greenwich Dance who lost their funding from the Arts Council last year.

A statement released by Greenwich Dance said: “Over the years the practical challenges of this listed building have started to outweigh the benefits.

“In addition Greenwich town centre has changed beyond recognition and is well provided with cultural opportunities.

“So we are now taking the opportunity to move further east within the borough and become part of new places with new
communities, extending opportunities for dance and to dance.”

A Greenwich council spokesman said: “The council did not cut its funding to Greenwich Dance. Greenwich Dance recently lost its Arts Council NPO funding.

“Borough Halls is in need of substantial investment to bring the condition up to a standard needed for continued use. Because of this Greenwich Dance had to leave Borough Halls.

“The company has now decided to scale down and reimagine their future. (As Greenwich Dance stated in their recent media statement: https://greenwichdance.org.uk/future-plans).

“The council is investigating future use of the building and investment options. Until that work is complete the building will need to remain closed. We will always enforce against illegal squatting of any of our properties and are currently seeking a court order for eviction.

“The council had no involvement in the departure of staff at Greenwich Dance. Greenwich Dance is an independent body that takes its own decisions. Any queries regarding these matters should be addressed to the Chair and Board of Greenwich Dance.”